


Shattered Mask (ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE)

by Kurokun01



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Angst, Angst and Humor, Bruises, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide attempt, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-01-21 07:50:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 13,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21296042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurokun01/pseuds/Kurokun01
Summary: Akira has shitty parents after coming back from Tokyo and makes the Meta-Nav come back because he has a shadow. What will the Phantom Thieves do? (alternate au, contains angst)
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Amamiya Ren, Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira, Akechi Goro/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 10
Kudos: 141





	1. Wildcard

_ “your time as the wild card” _

_ “has diss a p e a r e d” _

Akira woke up, startled. It was the same dream again. He’d been having these cryptic dreams ever since he had left Tokyo and his friends. His time as the wild card has disappeared? Well, duh. The metaverse wasn’t in existence anymore. But if that was the case, why had he been having these dreams? He rubbed his eyes groggily and felt Morgana on his lap. His phone suddenly flashed. Ryuji had texted him earlier at dinner time, saying we should meet up for the holidays. Unfortunately, that wasn’t possible. After coming back from Tokyo, his parents had gotten worse. They had been piling on the damage after he got home, yelling at him for giving the town a bad reputation. They revoked all his privileges. But he didn’t tell everyone else yet because he didn’t want to worry them. few months ago, he would have brushed it off and continued. But this happened every day. Even his teachers and classmates ignored and started rumors about him. It was just like the Kamoshida case. Teachers kept failing him if he even talked one word back to them. Every. Day. He couldn’t handle it. He wanted it to stop so badly. But he was powerless, absolutely powerless. He was nothing without that precious Meta-Nav, who made him so special. He couldn’t change any hearts. But he couldn’t show any weakness. Or they would get worse. His parents, and everyone else. He had to keep his mask on, had to keep stone walls around himself. Deep inside, he was hurting. Wanting to be freed. His mask was both a blessing and a curse. He looked at his phone longingly, wishing he could be with the Phantom Thieves again. He was nothing without his friends. His friends who boosted him up, and especially Ryuji. His best friend. He had been with Akira ever since he moved to Tokyo. And now he was gone. He hadn’t told any of his pain to Morgana. Because once again, he keeps everyone outside of his cold stone walls. But unbeknownst to Akira, Morgana was awake. And he knew everything. He was able to tell that Akira was hurting. He had turned colder to Morgana, kept everything shut inside. And Morgana was worried. He had spied on Akira being scolded by his parents. He had to tell the phantom thieves, he had to save him. Akira saved all of the Phantom Thieves, and now it was their turn to save his. He would wait till Akira fell asleep, then he would text the Phantom Thieves through Akira’s phone. Then, he would meet up with everyone else and talk about how to help Akira. He would save Akira. All of them would. Morgana didn’t move an inch off of Akira’s chest, waiting for him to fall asleep. Eventually, Morgana felt Akira dozing off. He carefully moved over to Akira’s phone and began typing.

Akira: This is Morgana. I need to talk to you guys. Akira’s...been acting odd lately. I don’t think he’s okay. We should meet up tomorrow. Can someone pick me up? What should we tell Joker? 

Futaba responded instantly.

Futaba: I can pick you up, Mona! I just need someone to come with me, though…..

Yusuke: I can come. 

Futaba: No thanks, I’d rather have someone else come. 

Yusuke: Why not?

Futaba: Idiot. You told us yesterday you spent all your money on art supplies and food. You probably can’t afford the train tickets.

Yusuke:...You have a point.

Akira: Why are you guys all up?

Yusuke: I’m working on a painting I need to submit tomorrow. 

Futaba: Well I usually stay up this late cause I hack a lot, so….

Ryuji: GUYS

Futaba: Ryuji! Hey, can you come with me and visit Akira’s place tomorrow to pick up Morgana so we can talk here? 

Ryuji: Uuhhh, sure?

Yusuke: Then that’s settled.

Ryuji: What is?

Akira: Akira’s acting weird and we need to discuss why. By the way, this is Morgana. 

Ryuji: Okay- WAIT CRAP THAT’S NOT WHAT I CAM EHERE FORE

Akira: You spelled here wrong.

Ryuji: DOESNT MATTER THE META NAV IS BACK

Futaba: What?! Wait, hold on, let me check. 

Futaba: It is back! 

Yusuke: It’s back for me too. 

Akira: Weird. I don’t see it on Joker’s phone. 

Futaba: Seriously? Hold on, let me examine his phone. 

Futaba: No way. It’s not there!

Akira: Told you. 

Yusuke: Why is it there for all of us, but not for him? He has more personas than we do, he should have it.

Akira: I don’t know why. I assume the only reason a previous persona user wouldn’t have the meta-nav app is…

Akira:..

Akira: Hold on. I want you to check something really quickly. Say Joker’s name. His real one. To the meta-nav.

Futaba: Uhm, okay. 

Futaba:

Futaba: Oh my god. There’s a hit for his name!

Futaba: Wait...then the lack of the meta nav app on his phone would mean…

Ryuji: I can’t believe it. I checked, and there was a hit for me too! 

Akira: Yes. 

Akira: Joker must have a palace. 

Ryuji: No way. 

Akira: Tell everyone to meet up at our usual meeting spot, WITHOUT AKIRA. We need to talk. 

Ryuji: Alright, I’ll create a group chat. 

Futaba: I’ll delete this one so he doesn’t see the messages.

Akira: Got it. 

Akira: See you.

Ryuji: Night.

Futaba: Talk to you later!

Morgana sighed, then put his phone in the same place as before, and fell asleep on Akira’s chest. 

Tomorrow morning, he would definitely save him. He swore to that. 


	2. Meeting

Akira woke up, tired and exhausted. Yesterday, his teachers gave him a boatload of homework, making him work through the night. Then he woke up with a dream-he couldn’t remember what exactly it was, though. Something about cards. He wasn’t too sure. Morgana stalked up to him, looking at him.

“Futaba and Ryuji are picking me up.” Akira was confused.

“What for?” Morgana quickly fibbed. He hadn’t thought of Joker asking why.

“Um, Yusuke wants to me to model for a painting or whatever. Not really sure…”

Akira blinked, then shrugged.“That’s fine. Just make sure you come back without my parents noticing you.”

Akira grimaced at the mention of his parents. Morgana noticed and turned away.

"Anyways, you can head out without me. I’ll wait for them here."

Akira rubbed Morgana’s head, slightly smiling.

“Alright. Just be careful, okay? I’m going out now. See you.” He walked out, rubbing his eyes.

“See you.” Morgana also trailed out of the house, waiting for Ryuji to arrive with Futaba. Half an hour later, they arrived and took Morgana to their spot back in LeBlanc. Everyone else was already in there when Ryuji yelled, “Morgana’s here!”

“Morgana! How have you been?”, Haru said delightedly.

“I’ve been better. But we’re here to talk about Joker.”, Morgana said wryly. Sojiro was there, pouring coffee and listening to them speak. It was clear he was worried about Akira. 

“I’d like all of you to check your phones. The Meta-Nav is back.” Everyone took out their phones and murmured in surprise.

“What happened to make the Metaverse come back again?”, Makoto asked.

Morgana paced, unsure of how to answer. “I don’t know. If I had to guess, someone must be very distorted. Futaba...Ryuji..we should tell them now…”

Makoto furrowed her eyebrows. “Wait, what do you mean to tell us? Is there something wrong?”, she asked.

Futaba looked away, not looking at any of them. “Joker...has a Palace.” Ann, clearly confused, asked, “But why? And how?”

“We don’t know. Morgana just asked me to check.” Morgana started talking. “We think that he’s become distorted now that the Metaverse is gone and he doesn’t have a Persona, letting him get distorted.”

“Yep.”, Ryuji sighed.

“If you don’t believe me, then check it out for yourself,” Futaba said while pulling out her phone. She inputted Akira’s name into the metaverse, and the metallic voice confirming a match was loud and clear.

“....So it really is true, then”, Ann muttered to herself. Morgana nodded. It was clear that they needed to save Joker before he reached his breaking point, he thought.

Makoto cleared her throat, then started talking about the elephant in the room. “Who will be the leader? We no longer have Joker as our leader as of right now, so we need a new leader. I vote...Morgana. Because he knows Joker best, and he was the one who discovered something was wrong with Joker.”

Ryuji leaned back, chugging his soda. “No objections here. OH GOD, MY NOSE.” Morgana snickered. “That’s what happens when you drink too much soda, you dummy. Anyways, no objections that I should be leader, yeah?” Everyone nodded, unanimously agreeing that Morgana should be the leader.

“Alright. Then we head into the Metaverse tomorrow.”  
  
Ann laughs softly. “And here I thought that we already had our last mission.”

Makoto shrugged, then took another sip of her coffee. “Well, this is good for us, as Phantom Thieves. We get to change people’s hearts again. I’d say that’s pretty good.”

“It is good! Although...I hope we can avoid more cases like my father’s…”, Haru sighed.

“We will. Don’t worry. And..I guess I should go now, seeing as Joker might get a little suspicious. Yusuke, if Joker asks, tell him that that painting on me is going good. I had to lie to him to get out of suspicion. Sorry.”

“Of course. Though, a painting of Morgana would be quite interesting…Maybe I SHOULD paint you..”, Yusuke joked. 

“Anyways ...Meeting dismissed...but can someone take me home? I can’t exactly walk home by myself..”

“I can get my driver to take us to Joker’s house...but does anyone else want to come and visit Joker?” Everyone nodded excitedly. They had been worried about Joker and how he was doing, especially after hearing that he had a palace. Morgana perked up and nodded. “I think that would be good for Joker, seeing as all the bs he’s gone through has even ruined him.”

“Alright, then let me call my driver!” Haru fumbled for her cell phone, then dialed a number and started talking. A few minutes later, she smiled brightly and motioned for us to come outside. Everyone else had started talking about how it would be great for everyone to see Joker.

“Alright, everyone! Into the car!” Ryuji made a face.

“Yeesh Makoto, no need to be so bossy.”

“Inari! Stop pushing me!”

“I’m not pushing you.”

“Yes, you are!”

“No, I’m not.”

Morgana sighed. “Everyone, shush. We need to keep him from realizing that the Meta-Nav is back. I checked his phone earlier and the Meta-Nav isn’t on his phone, but still. I’m worried that something might slip up.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I did a little bit of investigating and it seems people with personas can get the meta-nav app. So Joker won't be able to get the Meta-Nav app before.” “So then we don’t have to worry about the Meta-Nav?”, Morgana asked.

Haru signaled to her driver, then turned to everyone. “We should go now. If we go any later it’ll be really late.”

“Alright, let's go now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading a whole bunch of these cause I already had a couple of chapters written beforehand before I started to post here. So yeah, there's gonna be a couple of these.


	3. Hanging Out

Morgana strolled out of the car, calling for Joker. Joker heard him and opened the door.

“Oh, Morgana. You’re ba-” He stopped and looked at everyone as they got out of the car, one by one.

“You guys...You’re here?! I...guess this is why Morgana went out to go call you guys out so everyone could come back here, huh.”

Morgana fidgeted. He wasn’t used to lying to Joker. Everyone was silent as they examined Joker. They were looking at his face. And they saw his dark eye bags and red, swollen cheek where his parents had slapped him.

Ryuji winced. “You look awf-Urk!” Makoto elbowed him right before he finished his sentence.

Haru worriedly asked. “Are you okay? That bruise doesn’t look so good.”

He turned away from them, letting them all in. “Yeah..I’m..fine. I just...uh smacked my face into a wall…”

Morgana deadpanned. Of course, that wasn’t what happened.

Futaba winced. “Those look like my eyebags back when I was a neet…”

Joker sighed. “The homework here is a lot...tougher than the homework back there, so I have to stay up late doing homework…Anyways, you guys can stay here for a couple of hours, but my parents will be home soon and...I don’t think they’ll like me hanging out with friends because I’m grounded…”

Futaba grinned. “Of course, Joker! Just for a few hours! We wanna catch up!”

Akira smiled. Things hadn’t been going so well now that he had moved back, but seeing his friends again cheered him up. After they entered his house, they took a look at his new room and wincing at the stack of homework he had.

"Yikes. We never had this much homework back in Tokyo. You okay Joker? You look really tired...", Ryuji asked, worried.

"Yeah..I'm...fine. They give a lot more homework here cause it's out in the countryside and they don't have too much technology, so students have to study harder so that they can get better jobs in the city rather than in here." Akira laughed awkwardly.

"So...how did you find me? Morgana didn't leave from here, and you look like you got lost...."

Futaba scratched the back of her neck. "We had to ask the townspeople where your house was. They didn't seem too friendly about it, though...They kept trash talking you and your family about how your parents raised a delinquent, even though it was disproved that you were innocent."

Akira visibly winced, and the others took notice. They were worried. The strong leader they had always relied on was gone. Replaced by a more...Weaker person.

He looked outside. "Guys...it's starting to get a little late. I think you should head home soon. Don't worry about me, I'm fine. But my parents will be home soon and they're kind of..." He winced more. "Strict. I'm not allowed to have friends over for at least a month...not that I have any more here..." he muttered.

Futaba smiled. "Alright, but we'll be back soon though!"

Akira smiled. "Thanks. "

He closed the door behind them and sighed as he leaned on the door, tenderly touching the red cheek mark. He went to his room and started hacking away at the ever-growing pile of homework. He wondered when it would end. Outside, his friends were talking.

"Did you see that red mark on his face? He totally did not slam into a wall! It looks similar to when Kamoshida abused Shiho! There were bruise marks all over her face! And now Joker's getting them too? What happened? Who ruined him so much that he would have his own shadow? I'm so worried."

Ryuji sighed. "I am too. He was the first one to stand up to a shitty adult-like Kamoshida, and now this? Whatever's or whoever's plaguing him must be _serious_."

Morgana chimed in. "But we WILL save him though. After all, he saved us and the world. After what happened, he deserves better treatment. " The rest of the phantom thieves agreed to that. They would save their precious leader. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, that's the last of this batch of updates. It's 7 in the morning and my brain feels like mush, so no more upcoming updates for now. There's a next chapter in the making, though. It's pretty short :P


	4. Irritation

Everyone had gone home after talking with him and having fun, and Akira was feeling the same empty hollowness he’d been feeling ever since he came back from Tokyo. He had been lying to them. To his friends. The friends that had been there, pushing and fighting against Yaldabaoth. Why? Why did he lie to them? He didn’t want to worry them, he thought, as he finished stack upon stack of tedious homework. Morgana stalked up to him, glancing at the stack of homework and Joker. "

You should go to sleep. Staying up isn't good for you."

Akira laughed bitterly. " Well, it's not as if they care about my well being. The teachers just gave me extra homework just to make me 'busy' so that I don't cause any more crimes. Even though the police said that I was innocent, they still don't fucking listen. Nobody listens.", Akira glared into his homework.

"If only...the Meta-Nav was back so I could just make them see. But I guess shit's gotta happen to me like this, huh?"

Morgana was shocked. He had never seen Akira in this way. He must have been bottling up all that anger and hatred against the adults of this town. Of course, it would get to him. His parents slapping him for ruining their reputation, the teachers giving him an unfair amount of homework, no wonder he'd get a shadow. But there was still the question: why did the Metaverse come back for Joker? Did the public consciousness come back as mementos? Did we have to kill Yaldabaoth all over again? But clearly, that wasn't the case. The public had seen them fighting against Yaldabaoth. There was no way they'd go back to giving their free will away. They would also need to check if the entire metaverse was restored, or only just Joker's palace. The Phantom Thieves would need to check once Joker was asleep. Eventually, Joker gave up on finishing the huge stack of papers piled on his desk and fell into his bed. Morgana crept up to him and laid himself near Joker's body and waited for him to doze off. A minute later, Morgana could hear him softly snoring. He quietly leaped off the bed, not making a sound. He then pawed at Joker's phone, looking for his messages. He shone the phone light away from Akira's face so he wouldn't wake up, then pressed the Messages button so he could talk to the rest of the Phantom Thieves.

Akira: Hey guys. This is Morgana. 

Haru: Hello, Morgana!

Akira: Haru? What are you doing here?

Haru: Well, I was talking to the owner of a space that I could use for my cafe, and it ended up getting late...

Akira: Um, anyways. Next time we meet, I can't be there. Akira's been getting kind of suspicious of me ever since I lied to him... I can't think of another excuse to be away from him, and if I left him he would probably break even more. 

Ann: Break? What do you mean?

Akira:...His entire town still thinks he's the one who committed a crime, and his parents and several others are the ones who gave him those nasty bruises. And he wasn't able to fend them off. 

Ann: Holy...

Makoto: I could tell, that's not a normal bruise you get from slamming yourself into a wall. You'd get a bloody nose, maybe, but not slap marks. 

Ann: How did you know?

Makoto: I had to interrogate victims for my junior police training and identify how they got hurt for clues and other things. 

Akira: Nice, Makoto. 

Makoto: Not only just that, but he also seemed to be cradling his arm? I think it got broken or sprained...

Akira: Huh? I didn't even notice that...

Makoto: He was extremely good at hiding it. It's only natural that you wouldn't notice it. 

Ann: He had a sprained arm?!

Akira: Okay..but not only that. We should go to Joker's Palace tomorrow. 

Makoto: Alright. I'll tell the others about what happened and then tomorrow night I'll tell you when to come with us. I'll pick you up when Joker sleeps. 

Akira: Okay. Night. 

Ann: Goodnight! <3

Makoto: Goodnight.

Morgana deleted Joker from the chat, then placed his phone back where it was. Joker was NOT to know about the palaces coming back, otherwise, something might happen. Joker might break. 

And Morgana didn't want Joker to break anymore. 

But what Morgana didn't notice was that Joker was awake. Behind him. Reading the messages. And as he saw Morgana close the messages, he caught a glimpse. 

They were going to infiltrate his palace. 


	5. Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my Instagram homies for helping me brainstorm ideas for Shattered Mask! You guys know who you are <3

Joker was stunned. He almost screamed, but he managed to keep every cell of his body as still as a rock so that he wouldn't alert Morgana. He waited for Morgana to put his phone back near him, then shut his eyes so that Morgana wouldn't see him awake. He made a note to wake up early so he could go explore his own palace again. Yes, he had read the messages while Morgana was typing them. Joker faked being asleep so that he could read the messages Morgana had been sending while he thought Joker was asleep. After all, Joker was the one and only Trickster. Of course, he'd get away with faking sleep. Joker knew about his own palace, and he made preparations to infiltrate his _own_ palace while Morgana was away. He didn't know why he had a palace, but he was going to find out. He was going to meet his own shadow and find out what the _fuck_ was so wrong with him that he made the Metaverse come back. He was prepared, naturally. He got his model gun from back in Tokyo, ammo, and healing items. He was prepared. He had to find out what was wrong with him. He wasn't going to let anyone else into his palace. This was something he had to deal with himself because he didn't want to burden his friends. If he relied on his friends, then he wasn't strong. And he needed to be strong. For his friends. He couldn't show an ounce of weakness. 

_Stupid, stupid, stupid! How could you let your friends investigate your own palace? Sure, they were the ones who found out you had a palace, but you're still an idiot!_

He mentally attacked himself, cursing the Meta-Nav for giving him a palace. He waited for Morgana to fall asleep, then made a quick note to let Morgana know that he's going out tomorrow to extra classes. Or something like that. He placed it on the bedside table, drifting off silently again. He didn't sleep very well, obviously. Normally, if you had a palace and you were going to investigate it, you wouldn't be able to sleep. Joker kept tossing and turning, waiting for 6 am. He felt like it took an eternity to reach 6 am. He didn't know if it would end. But finally, after 5 long hours of waiting, it finally reached 6 am and Joker was wide awake. He carefully lowered himself off of the bed as to not disturb Morgana, then took his bag filled with supplies. Joker checked his phone, making sure the Meta-Nav was still there after Morgana used his phone to text the phantom thieves. He confirmed it, once more. A part of him still didn't believe the meta nav was back. But he shook that feeling off and spoke his name silently into the meta-nav. Hit found. His heart sank. He knew he had a palace, but it still broke him. He muttered the words prison fortress and the location of his house. Suddenly, the world around him started spiraling and sprawling with red and black tendrils. This was the metaverse he knew.

Once the tendrils of red and black finished surrounding his body, they dissipated to show a giant fortress. Broken, shattered masks decorated the path ahead of him. Joker felt like throwing up. Those masks were all white, blank. Just like his exterior. He clutched at his head, dizzy. He didn't think his own palace would be destroying him like this.

"What did you expect, a garden full of roses?"

He whipped his head around, looking for the source of the voice. In front of him was his shadow. Dressed in a flashy red and black outfit. And his shadow had a mask on. Arsene's mask, to be specific. Joker didn't know where to look. Suddenly, a horde of shadows surrounds him. 

"If you defeat me, I'll return to you. But first, you have to beat these babies first. Recognize them?"

Joker looked up. He was shocked. It was all of his personas. In shadow form. Ready to maim and murder him. He tried to summon his persona. It was in vain.

"Wow, you really are an idiot!" Joker heard his shadow laughing.

"You can't summon your persona! You have a palace! Did you really think you'd be able to fight when you've lost your will to be rebellious? Nice try, loser."

Shadow Arsene punched him square in the face. Stars flew in front of him, and then the hits kept coming. He struggled to stay conscious as his personas kept hitting him all over. Joker coughed out blood, trying not to pass out. But after one punch to the neck, he blacked out and his body slumped, hitting the floor like a limp ragdoll.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The outfit that his shadow has is basically Arsene's clothes, but fitted for Joker.


	6. Too Late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was originally going to be a part of Ch 5 but I ended up splitting it cause i didn't want to make things too confusing for myself. However, this chapter was too short to be ch 5 on its own so I had to expand it. If it seems rushed or if there are any inconsistencies please comment and let me know so I can work around it! thanks!  
edit: i forgot to format all those chapters so it's formatting time whoopie

Morgana woke in a rush. He exhaled and saw the note. Morgana questioned what Joker was up to, but this meant that Morgana could meet with the rest of the phantom thieves without Joker being suspicious. However, he didn't know how to tell the others that Joker was away, for now, so he would have to wait until nighttime came. But Morgana couldn't do that. He looked around for a home phone, anything that would let him contact Makoto. He found one with dead batteries. Rats. Morgana searched for batteries and found an unopened pair. Perfect! The only problem is that he would have to put them in with his paws. He fumbled around with the batteries until they clicked into place. He mashed the correct numbers with his toe beans until it started ringing. He mentally chanted in his head for Makoto to pick up. She picked up. Morgana explained to Makoto that Joker was out for the day, meaning that the Phantom Thieves could go infiltrate his palace. Makoto agreed to call the other Phantom Thieves and tell them to come here. There was a high chance Joker's palace location was going to be here, where all the abuse was. 30 minutes later, everyone was here.

"So...what do you think Joker's Palace is like?"

Morgana paced.

"Well, I don't know. We don't know anything about his inner feelings. He wears everything under a mask. And-"

Ryuji interrupted. "Like a fortress! He doesn't let anything out!"

The metaverse Navigator beeped.

"With Kaneshiro, his location was all of Shibuya. Maybe with Joker's palace, it's his house?"

The meta-nav beeped again, and tendrils started wrapping themselves around the entire group. Once the tendrils dissipated, warning klaxons flared and the Phantom Thieves were in their thief outfits.

"We're...a threat to him?"

Morgana sighed. "I don't think so. Remember how his palace is a fortress, and that he doesn't let anything out? Maybe he doesn't want us to find out about him......"

Makoto turned around to come face to face with a huge shadow.

"Shit! We should retreat for now!"

Makoto and the rest of the Phantom Thieves ran out of the palace path, exiting the Metaverse through their phones. Morgana tripped over something and picked up a pair of glasses. He gasped but still managed to make it out of the gateway on time. After everyone was out, Morgana dropped the glasses, making the Phantom Thieves turn.

Makoto's eyes widened. "Wait...are these Joker's glasses? They are! Morgana, after you finished using Joker's phone, was the Meta-nav there?"

Morgana thought. "Now that you think about it, I remember seeing the meta-nav right when I had Futaba delete the chatrooms. Maybe...The meta-nav appears to people who have personas, but it doesn't make the meta nav disappear after a persona user finishes using the phone? That would explain the warning alarms, but there's no way Joker would have been awake during those times...but unless he saw the phone light and woke up..." Morgana trailed off.

"S-so that would mean...Joker went into his palace?!"

"I'm afraid so, Futaba. But we're not strong enough to fight off the shadows! We need to train and force ourselves in there before Joker dies! I think we have about three weeks days to train and save him because he went into the palace today, according to the note. So let's train and save him!"

Everyone else agreed to train for three weeks and then attempt Joker's palace when they were stronger. They left one by one to train by themselves, then Morgana stalked back home, depressed. This was his fault for not realizing that Joker was at his breaking point already. But he was going to fix this. Like he always did. 


	7. Infiltration

It had been about three weeks since they last met. Joker was still missing, confirming that he was inside his palace. While Morgana was preparing for Joker's palace, he heard Joker's parents screaming about him and divorce. He learned that Joker's parents didn't want him anymore and that they were going to kick him out with nowhere to go. Poor kid. He was going to be heartbroken when he heard this. If they managed to save him, though. Hopefully, once they saved him, Sojiro would let him live back at LeBlanc where he was before. Anyways, Morgana was to meet with the rest of the Thieves at exactly 8 am. Morgana paced quickly around the front of Joker's house, waiting. About 30 minutes later, they arrived in the van. Everyone was somber. It was clear that they were worried about Joker.

"Has he...not returned?" Morgana grimaced.

"No. I haven't seen him in three weeks, Makoto."

"Which means...Joker is in his palace for sure..." Haru's eyes looked deeply saddened.

"It is only natural that someone placed under this much stress would break, like shattered glass in a cathedral.", Yusuke noted.

"Um...once we get into his palace...I think I can track his path with his glasses and Necronomicon..."

Morgana nodded. "Futaba, do that as soon as we get into the palace."

"On it."

Morgana jumped up onto Joker's pillow. He heard a soft crinkling underneath the pillow. He pushed away the pillow to find a notebook. "Hey, can someone flip through this and see what it says?"

Ryuji picked up the notebook and started flipping through it. He started reading it. 

_I'm so tired. Everyone in this town hates me. Even my parents. Nobody wants to believe the truth, they've got their head stuck in the sand. _

_I woke up in the middle of the night today. While Morgana was also awake. He didn't realize I was awake, though. He was using my phone and sending messages to the Phantom Thieves. Most importantly, the Meta-Nav was back. I wasn't surprised. There would always someone who would be fucked up enough to bring the Meta-Nav back. And I guess it was me. Naturally. Everyone hates me so much. Even my parents. Hahaha....I wouldn't be surprised, I hate myself too. _

_I'm going to run away. I can't take this much longer. Hopefully, I'll be where nobody can find me. I just want to disappear. Where nobody can find me. Where I don't have to think anymore. So, after I run away, I'm going to my palace in one month. Why? So that the rest of the Phantom Thieves don't find me and make me explain why I have a goddamn palace. I don't want to rely on them. I don't want to be weak. I have to be strong. I can't rely on them anymore. I can't let them find out my true self.   
...and yet a part of me wants them to find me and change my heart. So, I leave this. Good luck, if you're even reading this. _

Between the pages of the notebook was a napkin dotted with a brown liquid. It fell to Ryuji's feet. The Phantom Thieves were in shock. 

Futaba stammers. "I-I had no idea..." She digs her nails into her hand as she clenches her hands. "But this means there's only one week before he goes to his palace!"

"Me neither...I was the closest to him, and I had no idea!", Morgana grits his teeth. 

"It's okay. None of us did. But this just gives us a chance to pay him back! He helped us all awaken our Personas, and now we're going to save him!", Ann spoke. 

One by one, they nodded their heads, picking themselves up.

"He helped me and Ryuji with Kamoshida!"

"Yes. He helped me see the truth behind Madarame, even if I denied it at first." 

"He showed me the strength to fight Kaneshiro!"

"He helped me with my Palace, and now I'll help him with his! It's only fair!" 

"He and the rest of the Phantom Thieves fought together with me against my father's Palace!"

"He saved my sister from her own corrupt justice!

"We need to find him! He left a hint, but what is it?" 

Ryuji picked up the napkin. A familiar scent barely wafted through the room. 

"...Coffee..COFFEE! LEBLANC! Is he at LeBlanc?! Let's go to LeBlanc!" 

Everyone entered the car, then drove to LeBlanc. Sojiro handed them a note when they arrived. "I haven't seen him at all. There was this note when I opened it up. It just said 'give this to the phantom thieves', so....Here you go...Please, save him, okay? I think of him as my own son."

_So you found my diary. _

_And you know that I know that the Meta-Nav is back and that you're entering my palace._

_I'm sorry, but I can't let you know the real me. Because then I will be weak. I can't be weak. I'm sorry. Thank you for everything, though. You can't save me. I'm too headstrong. If you enter my palace, you will be killed all because I can't trust people to like me when I show my real self. I can't trust anyone. That's the way I am. I'm sorry. Don't take off my mask. Please. _

"Makoto, open up Meta-Nav and we'll get started.", Morgana spoke. 

Makoto nodded. "Alright. We'll definitely steal Joker's heart, guys."

They entered the palace, and Futaba started tracking Joker's path. The Phantom Thieves started running on the path, their shoes crushing broken pieces of masks. Then they arrived at the fortress. They quickly slashed through the guards, then started heading into the labyrinth. After a couple of hours of running, they came to a screen and a series of masks with emoticons and other things scribbled on their faces. One mask was Joker's Phantom Thief mask, another one was a mask with duct tape on the mouth part. There was another one with Joker's glasses. As everyone reached the screen, the screen lit up bright white and started to play. 

"What...is this?", Makoto asked, confused.

There was also a blank bust. The mask seemed to fit the bust perfectly.

"I think we have to pick which mask is correct.." Haru trailed off...

"I think so too." The screen played Joker walking to school and doing activities in school, but there was one mistake. Joker's face was scribbled out in white marker.

"Hmmmm...I'd say...Joker's Thief mask? Because we have to hide who we are? And the mask is a way of us protecting our identities from the public?", Ann suggested.

"Alright. I'll try that, then." Makoto took Joker's Thief mask off of its hook and placed it on the bust. The floor below them cracked.

"Uh oh. I think we only have one more try to figure it out..."

Morgana thought...."Try the glasses, Makoto."

"Huh? Alright." She placed the glasses mask on the bust and the white marker on Joker's face erased to show him wearing glasses.

"It's like his personas...He has a different personality wherever he goes. One for school, one for the thieves, and his mask for home... If I recall, whenever he's in the metaverse he used to act bolder, like he was a different personality...That must be it!"

The screen faded to black, and back to white again. This time, it showed the metaverse.

"If we're going by the same pattern here...then it should be Joker's thief mask....." His thief mask fit and the same thing happened. Finally, the screen faded to show Joker's house. It showed Joker's parents screaming at him and his teachers piling homework into his arms. Once again, Joker's face was crossed out.

"This cracked mask is the only mask left...Let's put it on.."

Makoto placed the last mask on the bust, and the screen lowered, letting them move forward into a room. This room was filled with more masks.

"I never knew..he had so many masks..."

"Holy shit, man...We'll save you soon."

The masks all started cracking one by one, eventually shattering to reveal Joker in the mirror. It wasn't real. Just an apparition. The apparition started speaking hollowly.

"Nobody knows the true me. I'm so tired of keeping up all these facades. Nobody knows the Joker behind all those masks. They would all rather push the blame onto someone than to understand another person."

The image of Joker laughed bitterly. He looked tired, scrunching his face up in anger and sadness.

"Holy...shit. I had no idea...." Ryuji was shocked.

Then another version of him appeared. His Thief version of himself.

Thief Joker started laughing and turned to face the Thieves. He came out of the mirror, like water, the mirror rippling around his body as he came out of the frame.

As he came out of the mirror, the rest of the mirrors shattering. The other Joker started screaming in pain.

Ryuji winced but stood strong. "Where's Joker?! Is he okay?!"

Joker snorted. "He wants to be the precious little hero for everyone but himself. God, what an idiot. Forget about him. All he cares about is not being vulnerable to you guys. He doesn't want to show what's behind his pathetic little masks. But if you care so much, then fine! Get lost in the labyrinth! You will die, trying to get past his thick walls!"

"...No. We will succeed. And we WILL save our leader!"

Morgana slashed through the apparition of Joker, shattering the illusion.

"Is...Is that what Joker thinks?"

"Yes."

A ghostly apparition of himself appeared, wearing his Shujin school uniform. 

"However, a small part of him wants someone, anyone to break through these walls.", the ghost gestured to said walls. "He wants someone to save him." 

"Wha-" Ryuji stumbled back.

"And that is why I am here. To aid you on your quest. However, I will not be able to do anything though, for you will have to break these walls yourself since I am too weak to do anything by myself."

Morgana swallowed, then exclaimed. "Then take us to him! We, the Phantom Thieves, will steal his-no, our leader's treasure, freeing his corrupted heart!"


	8. Butterfly

He woke up in a jail room. He tried to remember where he was last time. Ah yes, the last time he was awake, he had been in the engine room in Shido's palace. But he was supposed to be dead, Akechi thought. So why was he here, in this deserted jail? 

"Welcome to the Velvet Room." 

He jerked his head, focusing his sights on a form. It was Joker. But he looked different. He had white hair and was wearing a blue uniform. A blue butterfly slipped through the bars of Akechi's cell. Joker gazed at it, not speaking. It reminded Akechi of Joker. Free. 

"What are you doing here? What happened to you? Where am I?"

Joker turned his head to look at Akechi. 

"You are in the Velvet Room. A place for Wild Cards, people with multiple personas. First, I was here, and now it is your turn to be the Trickster. The Wild Card." 

"As for myself, I am not the real Joker. I am just a part of his soul. One of his many masks. I was summoned here because you were chosen to help the Phantom Thieves breach my palace and stop my true self from entering."

Akechi was shocked. Then, he started laughing. 

"Ahahahaha. Hahahahahahaha! The irony! The goddamn irony!"

He doubled over in laughter. 

"I can't believe the one who told me to look inside myself had a palace! A palace of all things!"

Joker stood, silently. 

"You still have a duty. To save the Phantom Thieves and Joker. This is your chance for redemption and rehabilitation. To live your life in the way that you want to."

Akechi mulled it over.

"I guess you're right, huh. I was so caught up in trying to gain acknowledgment from my father. I should have known he would use me as a tool to use. Yeah. You're right. This is my chance to redeem myself..."

He slumped against the wall, his body limp.

"But why me? You could have chosen anyone else to be the hero. I'm not fit for the hero role. Joker and those Phantom Thieves are. Why bother picking someone like me?"

"You were picked because you and I are similar. You are the only one who can save me. You have a choice to live again and save him, or you can pass away without having done anything."

Akechi pulled himself off of the wall and grasped the bars of the cell. 

"No. You're right. I still have a chance."

He gripped the bars tighter. 

"Let me out of here. This can't be it. I refuse to die without doing anything. Without redeeming myself. Without tying all the loose knots together."

The sides of Joker's mouth twitched upwards.

"Very well."

The prison bars faded away, and Akechi was in his Metaverse outfit again. 

Akechi ran to the giant doors, his heart beating fast. He wasn't the same person anymore. He got his chance to be the hero. And he was going to take it.

He pushed the doors open, shielding his eyes from the bright light. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time writing such a complex character, so if I messed up please let me know!  
also whoopie, i don't know how to format :')  
edit: i added more, please tell me if i made a mistake eek-


	9. Guilt

Akechi blinked. He was in a dimly lit stone hallway. There was nothing but stone walls after stone walls. He found rooms with guillotines, electric chairs, and other execution devices, but other than that there was nothing else. After 15 minutes of walking, he came upon a large jail cell with chains scattered among the floor. Akira was in the cell, bloodied and battered with chains handcuffed to him. Akechi winced.

“You’re alive.”, Akira muttered soullessly.

“Yeah. I...woke up in this place called the Velvet Room.”

Akira jerked his head up, shocked. “The Velvet Room?!”

“Yes. I was in there for god knows how long. Then, an apparition of you talked to me while I was in a jail cell.”

Akira let his head droop down. 

“Do you want to know why I have a Palace?”

Akechi hesitated.

“You know, I used to be like you. I had a normal life. Friends, even. A normal, happy family. Everything was fine and dandy until he came along and ruined my life. Masayoshi Shido.” Akira spat his name out like it was bitter poison.

The expression on Akira’s face grew twisted. It reminded Akechi almost of himself. 

” At first, nothing happened. Then, rumors spread around like wildfire. People started treating me like shit. I wanted them to make it stop. Even my fucking parents had started treating me like trash. And when I came back to this hell, it was the same. I saved the fucking world and this is what I got in return. People treating me like I was just some roadkill on the side of the fucking road.”

Akira’s face grew more twisted with rage. His arms were trembling with anger. 

“I saved the world from a twisted god that wanted mankind under its will. It wanted to control mankind, keeping it from thinking. I saved them from that bullshit and yet I got thrown into the juvenile hall again all because of some”, Akira spat, “Rotten adults!”, he screamed. “And then, when I got back, I got treated like absolute fucking trash!”

Akira seemed to calm down. 

“You know, before I fought the god...it offered to revert the world into what it was before and give the Phantom Thieves fame and fortune. Maybe”, Akira breathed heavily, “Maybe I should have taken its offer. Maybe then I wouldn’t have had to get treated like fucking trash in a trash bin.” 

Akira sighed. 

” However...I think the only thing that stopped me from becoming evil was becoming friends with everyone. They understood what I’ve been through...they made me forget all that rage from inside within...but when I came back from Tokyo, everyone started treating me like trash again, and all that rage surfaced once again. I thought everything would be okay once I proved my innocence, but they refused to change.”

Akira tried to stand up, but he was quickly weighed down by all the chains and weights cuffed to him.

“...Are you going to change my heart?”

Akechi nodded. “Yeah.” He looked away. “As a favor for changing Shido’s heart, I guess. Plus, this is my only chance at redemption. That’s what your apparition said.”

Akira nodded slowly. “...Hey. If you meet my teammates...please help them. They helped me so much, and yet I kept pushing them away.”

Akechi sighed. “Fine.” Akechi walked away from the cell, while Akira watched him trail off into the distance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for not updating! I lost inspiration to write for this story + life hit me in the face like a train wreck, but as of now on I’m going to try and update as soon as I finish writing chapters! This doesn’t mean I have a clear schedule, but unless I say I’m taking a hiatus I will always try to update!


	10. Saving Akira

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it’s shorter than normal! I typed this entire thing on my phone lol

The moment Akechi stepped out of the stone doors leading to Akira’s chamber, the door shut behind him, his red cape almost catching on the doors. Akechi brushes the dust off his shoulders, looking at his surroundings. There were three doors. The one he just came from, another one next to that door, and a door facing the opposite of the two doors. Behind near the door, he was in was a contraption shaped like a stone face and a pile of masks. One looked like a comedy mask, and the other looked like a tragedy mask. The stone face looked worn down and cracked. Akechi could only fathom what it meant. He ignored the masks and the contraption and walked to what seemed to be the exit door. Surprisingly enough, it opened when he walked near it. He could barely hear shouting through the walls. He tried to locate the source of the noise when he put his ears to the wall to try and listen when the wall seemingly collapsed from his touch. He tried to regain his balance by using his sword to prop himself up when he saw the rest of the Phantom Thieves battling a shadow without much luck. At first, nobody noticed Akechi, but after a couple of minutes, Makoto noticed him. 

"Akechi?! Is that you?!"

Futaba shook her head. "It couldn’t be! I didn’t sense you when we heard the gunshots past the wall!"

Ryuji wheezed heavily. "How did you," he wheezes with each word, "survive?!"

Akechi recalls what happened. He doesn’t remember much, just blacking out after the cognitive version of him shot him. And then waking up seemingly months later in the Velvet Room. First, though, he had to keep his promise to Akira. Akechi summoned Robin Hood and cast Makouga. It killed the shadow, making it fizzle away into black dust. 

"How are you alive?!", Ann said. She pants heavily and casts Diarama on herself. 

Akechi looks down at his shoes, intertwining the sides of his hair with his long fingers. 

"I don’t know. All I know is that I passed out right after getting shot by...myself...and woke up in this...Velvet Room or something."

Morgana coughs. "I think I know what happened." He coughs again. "He kept you in his cognition and kept thinking about you. That’s why you woke up in the Velvet Room." 

Akechi looks away. Akira kept thinking about him while he was asleep in the Velvet Room all that time. How long had it been? A couple of months? Why did he keep thinking about him? When he encountered him in that cell, Akira didn’t look that surprised to see him. 

Ann sighed. "Jeez, I can never tell what you two are thinking. You’re like total opposites, but you both never reveal your true selves." 

Makoto laughed tiredly. "And yet you can see each other’s true feelings."

"I think that explains why the walls broke down when I touched them. Because I can see his true feelings. And I guess, he could see mine. I guess that was how you guys found out my true intentions, huh."

Ann shook her head. "No. He didn’t tell us anything about you. We only found stuff about you through the pancakes comment."

Akechi pressed a hand to his head. He sighed. 

"Anyways, I found the real Akira. I talked to him...His uh, chamber, is right down the path I came from. There’s another door too, but I can’t tell what it’s for." Akechi fiddled with the strands of his hair again, looking away. 

"We should rescue him!" Haru cried out. 

"Yeah...uhm..it’s this way." Akechi pointed to the large stone door with the contraption attached to it. 

"But how do we open it?", Makoto muttered as she picked up some of the masks. 

Akechi thought to himself. If he could see Akira’s true self, then he would probably be able to break through all the walls between the Phantom Thieves and Akira. Akechi slowly walked up to the stone door, peering at the shelf lined with ornate masks. One of the objects on the shelf was Akira’s glasses. Akechi picked up the glasses, examining it. But the moment Akechi touched the glasses, it dissolved into a fine black powder. He jerked his hand back, then looked at the door. He held his hand up, hesitating. He placed the tip of his fingers on the door. The door melted into black dust just as the glasses had. Akechi stepped forward, his shoes grinding the powder into even finer dust as he walked. 

"So my theory was true. It seems that Akechi can break through the walls of Akira’s palace.", Makoto affirmed. 

"...Yeah." Akechi continued walking, scattering black dust everywhere. The rest of the Phantom Thieves silently trailed after Akechi. Eventually, they reached the place with the two doors and the one they came in from. Every time they encountered a stone door, Akechi would simply touch it and it would disappear. First, Akechi touched the other door, the one that was next to Akira’s chamber door. Then, he touched the door that led to his prison cell. 

"He’s this way. I, uh, don’t have any healing items or skills so he’s in bad condition."

Makoto’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean, ‘bad condition’?"

Akechi looked away. "Look for yourself."

The Phantom Thieves rushed into the long hallway, coming to a halt once they saw the cell. 

Ann almost fainted. Makoto caught her and helped her up.

"Oh. Hey guys." Akira coughed up blood. 

"Don’t talk!", Makoto commanded. She summoned Johanna and cast Diarahan on him. 

"It’s no," he coughed again, "Use. I don’t have a Persona anymore so it won’t work for me."

"First, let’s get rid of that jail cell." Akechi grasped one of the bars of the jail cell. 

Akira grimaced. "It’s no use. It won’t work-"

The cell door dissolved into black dust. Akira looked slightly surprised, then relaxed again. Akechi then gripped each of the chains attached to Akira’s limbs. They all faded away to black dust, falling on Akira’s shoulders and legs. Akechi extended a hand to him. Akira reached out. 

"You’re gonna have to help me out, I twisted my ankle while my shadow threw me into the jail cell like a sack of beans." Akira winced while saying this. 

"God fucking DAMMIT. Akechi groaned. Akechi grabbed his arms and Akira stood up shakily. Akira put his arm around Akechi’s shoulder. Akechi sighed and put his arm under Akira’s arm, helping him steady himself. Together, Akira started walking and dragged his sprained ankle on the ground, not putting any pressure on his ankle. Slowly, they made it out of the palace with Akechi and the rest of the Phantom Thieves’ help. By the time they reached the entrance, Akira was sweating bullets and clenching his teeth so he could stop himself from screaming. At this point, he was shifting most of his body weight onto Akechi and letting his bad ankle drag behind him. Akechi fumbled for his phone while still holding onto Akira with his free hand, then exited the Metaverse. When Akechi opened his eyes, he recognized that he was in front of LeBlanc. Akechi quickly realized that with Akira battered and covered in blood, things would not be good if he were seen here. Luckily enough, it was nighttime and there were few people around. Unfortunately, though, Akira had passed out while coming out of the Metaverse. He glanced at the other Thieves. 

"...Hey. Is there a hospital near here?", Akechi said, glancing at Akira.

Morgana meowed. "There’s a clinic if you turn this way." 

Akechi hauled Akira onto his back, his head drooping. He grabbed Akira’s legs, careful not to touch his ankle. Slowly, he walked to the clinic. Akechi could hear Akira’s soft breathing as he walked to the clinic. He bit his lip and shook his head. Akechi reached the clinic, still somehow managing to carry Akira. At first, the doctor looks surprised but then stifles it as she sighs and lays him down on the examining table. Akechi walks out of the examination and massages his shoulders. He slumped down on a chair and read the news on his phone. Sometime later, the doctor came outside of the examination room. 

"He's in a stable condition now. He was losing quite a bit of blood, though, so I had to give him a blood transfusion. What happened to him?"

Akechi blinked. "Um, he got in a fight. Someone, uh, insulted LeBlanc's coffee.", Akechi lied quickly. The doctor sighs. 

"Of course he'd get into a fight over something stupid like that. Well, I can't say I blame him. Anyways, he's in the examination room sleeping. I gave him a couple of painkillers so he should be fine. Although, he may act like he's high because these are strong painkillers."

"Will he be okay?", Ann worriedly asked.

"Yeah, he'll be okay. You guys can visit him now.", The doctor looked at her clipboard. 

"I don't see a parent or guardian with you guys, so I'll give this to you to give to them." The doctor pulled out a pill bottle and a roll of thick gauze pads. 

"Make sure he takes these painkillers and redresses the bandages on his wounds every 5-6 hours." 

Makoto took the pill bottle and the gauze pads and put them inside her bag, and walked into the examination room. Everyone else followed behind her, but Akechi lingered behind for a few minutes. Eventually, he awkwardly shuffled into the tiny examination room. 

Akira was there, sleeping peacefully. Makoto looked at him, then clenched the strap of her bag. 

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?", she softly muttered. Akira turned in his sleep. She placed a hand on his head and brushed away the bangs covering his eyes. She turned, walking out of the room. Everyone else murmured to him, softly speaking. Akechi was the only only one who didn't say anything and watched them filter out of the room, one by one. He shook his head. 

"You really are an idiot. Why not trust your teammates? You're so lucky."

Akira seemed to react to the sound of his voice.

"I guess we really are more similar than I thought. Um, anyways. I guess it's time for me to leave. I don't have an apartment as of right now, but I'll find one, I guess."

As Akechi turned around to leave, a hand grabbed his.

"Don't...go...Stay...with...me..." Akira struggled to speak, painkillers weighing his voice down. 

Akechi sighed. Akira didn't let go of his hand. Akechi pulled up the chair and sat down. 

“Stay...in...LeBlanc...with...me...” 

Akechi blinked. 

“Huh? You want me to live with you in LeBlanc? But why? I’ve done so many horrible things...why trust me?”

Akira didn’t respond. He had fallen back asleep again. Akechi sighed. For now, he’d find a hotel to stay at. He helped Akira up and slowly walked back to LeBlanc, making sure not to drag Akira’s bad leg too much. He entered LeBlanc, nodded to Sojiro, who stifled his surprise, sat Akira down on a chair, and left. He found a motel located near LeBlanc and checked in. Akechi drifted off, thinking about Akira’s offer. 


	11. Mask

Akechi checked out of the motel. He couldn't fathom why Akira had asked him to live with him in LeBlanc. Akechi pulled his coat over himself as he stepped out of the lobby. He walked to LeBlanc, lingering outside the door for a couple of minutes. Akechi pushed the door open, where seven pairs of eyes stared at him. 

"Hey." Akira nonchalantly sipped his coffee at the barstool. He didn't seem to be fazed at all that Akechi was back. His mask was already back on. 

"...Hi." Akechi looked away at Akira. Yesterday was the first time he had seen Akira so vulnerable and yet so angry. Only he had heard Akira's rant.

"So. You guys were all in my palace, almost got killed, and Akechi can see through my metaphorical mask." Akira didn't look at Akechi. He was doing anything he could to prevent Akechi from looking at his face. Akira drank his coffee again. 

"I meant what I said. Last night, I mean." He twirled a pen with his fingers. 

"You mean...staying at LeBlanc?" Akechi asked. Suddenly, all eyes were on Akira. Akira nodded. 

"But why? I mean, I tried to kill you." Akechi looked away. 

Akira drained the last of his coffee. He looked at Akechi. Akira looked pale and fragile, like a china doll. There were slight dark circles under his eyes. 

"You redeemed yourself when you saved us from your cognition, and when you helped me out of my palace." Akira ran his fingers through his black hair. 

"So no, I don't think you're exactly evil anymore." Akira shook his head. "No, that's not it. More like you were freed from being a tool." 

Akira stood up. "I'm going upstairs. I'm going to take a nap." He walked past everyone and climbed up the creaking stairs silently. 

Ann took a sip from her latte. "So, are we going to change his heart or not?" 

Akechi stayed silent. 

"We have to." Yusuke brushed his hair back, observing the swirls in his coffee. Haru silently nodded.

"But first, what are you going to do, Akechi?" Makoto asked. 

Akechi blinked. "Huh?"

"Are you gonna help us save him or not?" Ryuji downed the last of his cola. "We need you. You're the only one strong enough to defeat those monsters, plus the fact that you can break through walls with a single touch." 

Akechi didn't think he was welcome here. "I mean, are you sure? I almost killed him. I killed people."

"Then change his heart, and then after you can truly repent by turning yourself in. If you turn yourself in, most likely you'll go to jail, and I'll ask my sister to lighten your sentence and let you go on probation for one year. Even if my sister doesn't do anything, they'll probably lighten your sentence if you plead guilty."

Akechi hesitated. "Alright. I'll...help change his heart, then I'll turn myself in."

Ryuji leaned back. "Okay, so when are we going to the palace? We still haven't found his treasure yet."

Futaba piped in. "I don't think we need to worry about that. Do you know the room with the 3 doors where we found Akira in? I think the one that was left alone was the one with his treasure in it." 

"Ignoring all the Palace stuff for a moment, who's going to be our new leader?", Morgana meowed. 

Makoto bit her lip. "Usually, Joker decides what attacks we're going to use, but I guess we'll have to decide what skills to use on our own." 

"I mean, that too, but who's going to go on the front lines?" Morgana licked his paws. "I mean, obviously Akechi will have to be with us because the palace shadows are weak to his skills, but who else? And I don't think Ryuji should come since he might accidentally knock himself out. Some of the palace shadows have physical reflect abilities. I think Makoto should come." 

"I agree, she has the most brains in battle. She should probably also decide who else is coming, too.", Futaba piped up again. 

Makoto stuttered. "M-me? But I know next to nothing about picking front line members..." 

"I think you should bring Morgana.", Akechi silently spoke. "He's a good healer, I guess."

Makoto nodded. "Alright, then. We'll bring Morgana. Who else?"

"I think we should bring Lady Ann!", Morgana meowed excitedly.

"You only want Ann because you like her!", Ryuji argued with Morgana.

"N-no! It's because if she burns someone, I can follow it up with wind!", Morgana counters. 

Makoto sighs. "Alright, then. We'll bring Ann too." 

Akechi looks at the stairs. "So. Have you decided on when to change his heart?"

Makoto looks surprised as if she forgot that Akechi was there. "O-oh, um, we should go tomorrow. And we should meet up at our old hideout. You know, the Shibuya Accessway."

Ryuji nods. "Got it."

Akechi turns, pulling on his coat once again. "Alright, then. I'll see you tomorrow."

Makoto blinks. "Yeah...See you." After Akechi left, the remaining Phantom Thieves left LeBlanc in random intervals. Ryuji was the last one to leave, thinking about the time he and Akira spent together. Back then, Akira would never reveal any of his emotions to anyone, but he would always greet Ryuji with a smile. Now, he felt like Akira was a stranger. He knew nothing about him, and yet Akira knew everything about him. Akira never talked about his past or his family, and Ryuji never even thought to ask. Akira supported him through everything, with Kamoshida and the track team shit too. And yet Akira kept everything bottled inside. Ryuji clenched his fists. After they stole his heart, he would listen to Akira about his own problems. 

Ryuji swore on it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi this chapter was stupidly short but i'm in class and my laptop's about to die so *shrug* have a short chapter  
things are gonna get p good in the next few chapters uwu


	12. Hollowness

While the rest of the Phantom Thieves were talking downstairs, Akira wasn't sleeping. He was lying down in bed thinking about how weak he was. What had happened to the will of rebellion a year ago? When he was on the brink of death? Well. He knew the answer to that. He just didn't want to accept it. His parents had gotten to him, gotten under his skin and made him break down in tears. He had revealed emotions which he had never revealed before to anyone. He had been keeping all of this rage all bottled up, but now it had just ebbed away. Now all that was left was hollowness. Akira sat up and curled into a ball. He put his earbuds on and drowned out the noises of the city with soft music. All he wanted to do is fade away. He thought he was free from his parents when he went to Tokyo. But in reality, he was just still their puppet. A puppet to excel at school and go to a good college to get a job so he could earn them money so his parents could live lavishly. His own palace reminded him of that. It was a prison and Akira was the sole prisoner. He was a string puppet, controlled by his parents. Akira rubbed his eyes. He didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to think about anything anymore. He just wanted it to stop. He lay down again, hugging his knees to his chest. He wouldn't think about it anymore. It hurt to think about it. He fell asleep to the rainy night weather, staring out the window. 

\---

"So, let's go over the plan. First, we travel to the safe room near the room with Akira's chamber in it, then Akechi opens the door. We don't know what's past that point, so we should be careful." Makoto twisted a lock of her hair around her fingers, thinking the plan over. 

"I don't think so," Morgana said. "I think the treasure is beyond that door." 

Ryuji nodded. "I think so too. That's like, the only place left, dude." 

"Yeah, but...something feels off. His palace felt way too short."

"Yes. I agree. It only took two hours to reach Akira. That can't be the end of the palace," Makoto commented. 

Just as they were about to question where Akechi was, Akechi burst through LeBlanc's door, drenched. 

"Um...where were you, Akechi?", Makoto asked. 

"Sorry. The train coming here was down today, so I had to run here. My umbrella broke while I was almost here though, so I had to run the rest of the way here." Akechi wrung his hair dry, grimacing. 

"Well, anyway we're going to the Palace today. Somehow, we managed to get supplies. Sheesh, I don't know how he does it. They just looked at me weird when I tried to get medicine and new equipment. Then they just smiled! And then gave us stuff for half off! Do they know that we're his friends or something?" Ryuji grumbled. 

"Anyways, now that we're prepared, let's go into the palace at once," Haru said. 

Akechi pulled out his phone, which had miraculously survived the harsh rain. He pressed the Metaverse app, then pressed on Akira's Prison. 

"Beginning navigation," droned the navigator. 

In a flash, they had appeared at the prison. They traveled to the safe room near Akira's prison cell. They walked through the door, which effortlessly parted for them. 

"What the heck?! Why'd it just part like that? Last time it had a weird mask contraption thing..." Futaba seemed surprised. 

Akechi brushed it off and walked through the door. Through the door, there was a stage with a piano on it. Out of nowhere, Akira's shadow walked onto the stage, oblivious to the Phantom Thieves standing in front of the stage. His shadow transformed into an unfamiliar school uniform. Akira's shadow wore a black jacket with grey stitches, yellow buttons, and a square collar. 

"That's not our school uniform! It must be his old school uniform!" 

His shadow began to play. As the performance drew on and on, it was apparent that there were strings controlling his shadow. They moved his arms for him, making him sway robotically as he played. After the performance was done, the shadow rose out of the piano stool and dropped to his knees, head tilting back. His mouth didn't move, but they could hear its voice crystal clear. 

"I want to be free. I want the spark of rebellion to ignite again." Its voice was hollow, and yet on the verge of tears. "But yet, I am a puppet." He gestured to the strings, grasping at them with his fingers. The ghostly apparition of Akira appeared behind them. This version of Akira seemed to have more substance than before. 

"Bring him here. He desires rebellion. Freedom. More than anything. The spark of rebellion will ignite the passionate flames of rage once more."

"What does it mean by 'bring him here'?! The only thing it'll do will get him almost killed again!" Futaba worries. 

The apparition shakes his head. 

"Bring him to his parents' cognitive world. The spark of rebellion will ignite there."

Futaba gulped. "You mean...to the Metaverse?"

The apparition nods. "Before, all he wanted was to not let people know what was under his mask. But you," the shadow gestures at Akechi, "You can see right through his mask because you have similar masks. 

Akechi looks down. 

"I guess so. Robin Hood was my 'detective prince' persona and Loki was the true me."

The apparition shakes his head again. 

"They are both the real you."

Makoto clears her throat. "Um, do you know where the treasure would be?" 

The shadow gestures behind the curtain behind the piano. 

"Thank you." Makoto nods and makes her way to the stage. The shadow in Akira's old uniform is long gone, puppet strings and all. 

Makoto pulls the curtain away to reveal a wall. It looked like the sidewall of Yongen-Jaya where LeBlanc was located. Akira's voice speaks. 

"This was the only place where I wasn't judged for my skills or grades. I loved it there. It was warm and cozy, and it smelled of coffee. LeBlanc and Sojiro felt more like a real home and father figure than my real house and parents ever did." Akira's voice didn't sound hollow like all the times before when his shadow had spoken. His voice felt warm and full of emotion as if he was on the verge of tears. 

Futaba's voice sounded on the verge of tears, too. "I...I never thought he felt that way about LeBlanc..."

Makoto's voice shook for a second. "L-let's go inside..."

Makoto stepped up on the stage, uncertain. She pushed the door open, the familiar soft tinkling bell ringing as she opened. It was the same as always. 

"When I first got here, I liked it automatically. Even if Sojiro was cold to me first because of the incident. I can't blame him for that. He didn't know anything about me."

"Sojiro was cold to Akira when he first arrived in Tokyo?!" Futaba was slightly shocked. "Jeez. Akira's way too nice for his own good." 

Morgana meowed. "The treasure's close by! It has to be upstairs!" 

Makoto nodded and climbed up the stairs. On the couch, a boy was sitting. He looked like Akira, but a younger version of him. 

"I highly doubt you'll be able to take the treasure!" The boy laughed. 

"Who are you?!" Makoto got startled. The boy swung his legs and laughed again. 

"I'm the child version of him! Even when he was a child, those bad adults would always make me do boring stuff like playing the piano or do complicated math! No way, that stuff sucks! I wanna play outside and have friends!" The boy scrunched his face up and stuck his tongue out. 

"But they wouldn't let me! So I never got to play." The boy pouted. "So now," he swung his legs, "I get to play in Palaces! Those dumb adults always told me to grow up and act mature! But now they can't do anything because I'll change their hearts! Now I can play with fancy spy tools and make cool stuff like smoke bombs and then be a cool spy!"

"That's definitely a younger version of him for sure." Morgana sighed. 

Akechi tilted his head. "How can you be so sure?" 

"He used to make a lot of smoke bombs but then I told him to stop wasting it for stuff like that because we're already strong enough to take down shadows. Then he'd proceed to pout. Then, when he _did_ use smoke bombs, there was this look of joy on his face. The rest of you guys probably didn't notice with the smoke, but I noticed because making a ton of stuff like that was weird."

Futaba snorted. "That's adorable. I guess that's where his Metaverse outfit comes from." 

Akechi snickered, too. "Wait, seriously? You've gotta be kidding me." _That's surprisingly cute_, he thought. Akechi shook his head. What was he thinking? Cute? He shook it off, searching for the treasure. Akechi leaned on one of the walls, sighing. There was no treasure here. Suddenly, the wall gave out and revealed a staircase upwards. Akechi stumbled, grabbing the corner of the wall to steady himself. 

"Uh...You guys. I think we found the treasure room."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS OFFICIALLY AN AKESHU FANFICTION WOOHOO


	13. His Treasure

Akechi steadied himself from the fall with the hilt of his saber. He peered inside the stairwell. The walls and stairs was pitch black. Akechi held his saber up, lighting the stairwell up. The stairs went on for a while, and the walls were completely smooth and black. They felt completely alien from the rugged stone walls of his outer palace. As he reached the top, Akechi could see the light. He sheathed his saber and reached the top. As he stepped off the last step, he looked at the wide circular room before him. The walls were lined with many masks differing in shape, color, and size. No mask was the same. In the center was a pedestal with the translucent Treasure atop of it, a spotlight shining on it. 

Makoto appeared after him, catching her breath. “This is the treasure room?”

”Yeah. I guess all we need to do is send the calling card, then.”

Akechi looked at the masks decorating the walls. Some were ornate, some were made of organic material, and some even looked alien-like, like Futaba’s mask. “I don’t know why, but these masks remind me of my own two masks.”

Makoto stared at him. “What do you mean?”

”I mean, I guess my white outfit and red mask represent my whole ‘detective prince’ persona. And I guess my black outfit and mask represents my real self and my anger. So I guess these masks are like that for him, and he has a lot more ‘masks’. I don’t really think he shows his true self often.” 

”But then why doesn’t he change masks or outfits when he changes Personas?”

”I guess his Metaverse mask represents his abilities to use masks. Like as in not showing his true self, I guess. This is all just a theory though, I don’t know if that’s true or not. Well, anyways. Let’s go back.” Akechi pulled his phone out of his pocket and traveled back to the entrance and out of the Metaverse. They arrived at LeBlanc, where Akira was staring at his coffee hollowly. 

”Welcome back. I guess you came back from my palace, huh?” He doesn’t look at Akechi, or anyone else for that matter. Akira is completely still and unmoving, like a porcelain doll. 

”Yeah...” Akechi stared at him. What had happened while he was gone? 

”Well?” He put his mask on, pretending to be okay. “Did you find my treasure?”

”No.” Akechi shook his head. “No, we didn’t.” 

Makoto stared at him. Akira drank all of his coffee in one shot and went upstairs. 

”What happened while we were gone?” 

“By the way, isn’t it a little odd that his parents never came for him once?” Makoto thought out loud. 

”Well, maybe they texted him or something.” Haru suggested, 

“Huh, let me hack into his phone and see if there’s anything there.” Futaba opened her laptop and typed away. “Nope, nothing. Not even a single call.” 

There was one possibility at the back of everyone’s mind, but they didn’t say it. Maybe they had disowned him. Haru acknowledged it first. 

”Maybe...they disowned him.” she said quietly. 

”I...if that’s the case, then we’ll change his parents’ hearts too.” Makoto said fiercely. 

”Anyways, I’ll start making his calling card today and we’ll send it tomorrow. The calling card will have to be special, seeing as it’s for our leader.” Yusuke said. 

”Alright then, it’s a plan.” Akechi said. 

Everyone nodded. He had helped them, and now it was time for the final stretch. It was time for them to help him back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so today I wrote this chapter then lost it and then I wrote it again so no, I don’t think I’ll be posting like this for another while *sobs*


	14. The Final Stretch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes hello i'm not dead lmao

The moment Akechi looked up, he saw the entire Palace being drowned in red lights. He shielded his eyes from the bright red lights. Ann nodded. 

"Let's go, guys." 

Akechi and the rest of the Phantom Thieves started running through the makeshift pathway Akechi had created through the walls. There were no enemies to be found, the hallways barren. They reached the hallway where they had found Akira and his treasure. They went through the fake LeBlanc, but when they went through the staircase leading to his room, the only found a huge room with the treasure in the middle. All the masks had disappeared. On the pedestal was his mask. Makoto seemed confused but reached for the treasure. An invisible force field knocked her back. Ann rushed to her side, helping her up. 

"Not so fast." Two people appeared. They had yellow eyes and had what seemed to be marionette crosses in their hands, with strings. 

"We won't let you take our puppet's treasure, not while he is under our control. Nobody shall cut his strings again." They were Akira's parents. They had ugly smirks on their faces and dressed in fancy clothes. 

"We sent him to a prestigious school so he could attend a great college and make us a lot of money. He is our puppet." Their smirks widened. 

Makoto clenched her fist. "How horrible. Crow, come on! We need to fight these cognitions of his parents and free him!"

Akechi gritted his teeth, remembering how he too, was a tool for his own 'parent'. He gripped his gun and got ready to fight. 'I'll save him,' he thought. 'Just like he saved me.'

The two cognitions noticed Akechi pull out his gun, and they screamed. "How dare you try to take our puppet away from us!" They yanked their marionette crosses, and a cognitive version of Akira descended from the ceiling, strings attached to his marionette limbs. 

"Fight for us, puppet!" The cognitions screamed once again. 

"Yes, Mother. Yes, Father." The marionette attacked, dealing critical damage. 

Haru looked like she was about to cry. 

Akechi clutched a hand to his head. This was exactly how he was viewed in Shido's Palace too, albeit less extreme than Akira's cognition of himself. He shook his head, telling himself not to get distracted. He cast Kouagon, damaging the puppet. 

"If I do not do what they say, I will be useless."

Yusuke and Makoto winced. 

Ann tightened her grip on her whip, then cast Agidyne. She looked guilty, as if being convicted of something. 

Akira's leg caught on fire, as if it was made of wood. His leg burned, cracking it in half. No blood came out. Instead, only smoke and embers rose from the burn. 

Ryuji choked up, trying not to look at Akira. 

Morgana yelled. "You guys! We should try to attack the two cognitions!"

Yusuke regained his stability. "Y-yes. You're right." He cast Bufudyne, but the two cognitions yanked the strings so that Akira took the brunt of it. He fell to the floor, motionless.

Yusuke stretched his hand out, screaming. "No!" 

The parents tugged the strings once more, but nothing happened. The marionette didn't move an inch. The cognitions threw him to the side, screaming "Useless! Useless piece of trash!"

Makoto yelled, with tears in her eyes. "He's not useless! He's our fearless, strong leader!" 

Haru yelled with Makoto. "Don't you dare treat him like this! 

Morgana hit the two cognitions with Garudyne, motioning to the others to hit the cognitions.

Akechi cast Megidoloan, wiping them out with one hit. He walked to the pedestal, examining the Treasure. It was Akira's mask. 

Makoto was behind him, rubbing her eyes with one hand. "What...what is it?"

"It's his mask."

Everyone was silent. 

"You should go while you still can."

Akechi turned around. Akira's shadow was standing there, along with the shadow in Arsene's clothes and the child shadow. The shadow in Arsene's clothes was on his knees, silent. 

"That mask is my freedom. It freed me from the puppet strings of my parents while I was in Tokyo." 

The child shadow spun around happily. "It also represents the suuuuper fun times I had with the Phantom Thieves, ya know? Being a super cool Phantom Thief was sooooo fun!" The child shadow grinned childishly. 

The shadow in Arsene's clothes spoke dully. "Nobody at my school ever knew the real me. They only cared about grades or appearances. I learned how to talk to people so they would find me charismatic. I hid my emotions behind those glasses. Only Akechi saw straight through the mask." 

Dust and debris started falling. Akira's shadow smiled. "You really should go now. I'll help you." He disappeared, and suddenly they were in front of the entrance. Akechi tucked Akira's mask into his pocket, then started running with the others. He tripped over a stray mask, which shattered and dissipated. He yanked his phone out and traveled back to the real world. 

In the real world, everyone was panting heavily. Akechi pulled the mask out of his pocket, which was now a pair of glasses identical to Akira's. Ann ran inside LeBlanc. 

"Where's Akira?!" Ann almost yelled. 

"Whoa, calm down. He's upstairs. Doing what, I don't know." Sojiro replied, slightly thrown off by Ann's hurried response. Ann rushed upstairs, then sighed. Akira was sleeping. 

"Thank goodness." Makoto came in after Ann. She sighed, pushing Akira's hair off his forehead as he was sleeping. He turned a bit, then relaxed. 

Yusuke watched them from the sofa. "If it's anything like Futaba's case, he'll probably wake up in a few days." 

Futaba blew her bangs out of her face. "Yeah, probably. Except it was a lot longer than a few days." 

"Anyways, I'm glad he's okay." Haru smiled slightly, looking at Akira's sleeping face. 

Akechi was near the stairs, looking at everyone crowded around Akira. "We should probably go home. I'm both mentally and physically exhausted." 

Morgana nodded. "Alright. You guys go home, I'll keep an eye on him." 

"Alright. You'd better tell him to call us when he wakes up." Ryuji told Morgana. 

"Okay, we're going. Keep an eye on him, alright?" Ann said as they walked out of LeBlanc. After watching them walk out of LeBlanc, Morgana watched Akira's still face.

'Please wake up soon. We still need you to guide us, leader.' Morgana thought. 


	15. Idk bruh

I’m thinking of rewriting this and then posting it because when I look back the beginning parts make me cringe. For now, I don’t have the energy or motivation to continue this. But once I start rewriting this I’ll delete all the chapters. I’ll keep it up for now. And also, royal threw a wrench in my plot so I can’t continue with this.


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